


To Save Us All

by iskiforfun



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Ahsoka Tano-centric, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Ahsoka Tano, Dark Ahsoka Tano, Episode: s02e21-22 Twilight of the Apprentice, Episode: s04e13 A World Between Worlds, F/F, F/M, Gen, Inquisitor Barriss Offee, POV Ahsoka Tano, Post-Episode: s02e21-22 Twilight of the Apprentice, Post-Episode: s04e13 A World Between Worlds, Sith Ahsoka Tano
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29520708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iskiforfun/pseuds/iskiforfun
Summary: Every time Ahsoka expected to die, she kept doing the exact opposite, and each time, things gotworse.Her execution at the hands of the Senate had been thwarted, only to find out that her best friend had framed her. She had survived Order 66, only to discover that the Jedi had been wiped out. She had fought Darth Vader, only to fall into the hands of Darth Sidious.Ahsoka thought she deserved a bit of slack, but it seemed like she was going to have to take it for herself.Or, Ezra escaped Darth Sidious in The World Between Worlds, but Ahsoka did not.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Barriss Offee & Ahsoka Tano, Barriss Offee/Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger & Ahsoka Tano, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 16
Kudos: 63





	1. Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> I love Ahsoka in canon, but something about Sith Ahsoka just gives me chills.
> 
> If any of you have read my MCU work, just a heads up that the style here is a little different. Instead of italics representing internal thoughts, italics indicate flashbacks.

**The World Between Worlds**

"Ezra Bridger and Ahsoka Tano... Mine at last!" Sidious cackled.

Ahsoka was not having a good day, to say the least. Her problems just kept escalating exponentially, and now, she was in the presence of literally the most evil man in the galaxy. Things continued to go from bad to worse.

To start with, on Malachor, she and Kanan had run into Eighth Brother, which soon turned into facing off against Eighth Brother, Fifth Brother, and Seventh Sister. Then, Ezra had walked out of the temple with a Sith holocron and _Maul,_ of all people - Ahsoka would never understand that Zabrak's uncanny ability to cheat death. From that point on, things had spiraled out of control. Ezra played right into Maul's hands by activating the temple, and after leaving a recently blinded Kanan to deal with Maul, Ahsoka had reached the temple's zenith just as Vader was about to kill Ezra. Ahsoka fought Vader to buy time for Kanan and Ezra to escape with the holocron, and in the process, she confirmed her worst nightmare: Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker. She had barely had time to process the revelation before they were dueling again, but at least Ezra and Kanan were able to get away.

Ahsoka had resigned herself to her fate, determined to take down both Vader and the Sith temple with her, when the unexpected happened. She had stabbed her lightsabers into the unstable floor and watched Vader lose his footing and fall into the resulting opening, but instead of falling with him, Ahsoka was suddenly yanked backwards by Ezra - but not the same Ezra.

_Picking themselves up from where they had fallen, Ahsoka tried to get her bearings. She could have sworn that she had just seen Ezra leaving with Kanan. Except the Ezra she knew was a bit shorter and had longer hair, and he had definitely not been wearing stormtrooper armor five minutes ago. Somehow, the Ezra in front of her was older, meaning that she had been... what, pulled through time? What was going on?_

_"Ezra? You look... Wait, what happened? Where am I?"_

_Having grown up in the temple on Coruscant, Ahsoka knew what it was like to feel the maturity of something in the Force, but even the temple on Malachor hadn't been near as old as wherever they were now. Beyond that, Ahsoka felt like this place was both everywhere and nowhere at the same time. This place was connected to the universe in every possible way, yet it also existed as a separate entity entirely._

_"You were fighting Vader. I saw you in there."_

_Ezra gestured behind him to some kind of... window? A portal? Ahsoka had never heard of anything like that, but she couldn't exactly deny what was right in front of her._

_"He was going to... So I... I grabbed you, and I pulled you out of there."_

_Ahsoka would have asked how Ezra had reached across time and space, but it sounded like he didn't understand it either. Regardless, he had saved her. Prevented her death at the hands of -_

_"Anakin..."_

_Having been pulled away from the fight, her feelings now threatened to overwhelm her. This was all her fault. She should have never left. She could have stayed in the Order, stayed with him, but she had been selfish, wanting to find out who she was without the Jedi. She should have considered what her absence would mean. She knew that he struggled with attachment. If she had only stayed, she could have -_

_"Hoot hoot."_

_Ahsoka's thoughts were interrupted, her attention drawn to the ivory and emerald female convor perched on top of the gateway from which Ahsoka had been rescued._

_"Morai? You're here?" Ahsoka stuck out her arm, and the convor gladly flocked to her and alighted on the proffered resting place._

_"Morai?" Ezra asked, confused._

_"She's an old friend," Ahsoka explained. "I owe her my life, and now, I owe you that as well."_

_Ezra accepted her thanks with a nod and a smile._

_"How did you get here? And where's Kanan?" She looked around to make sure she hadn't missed him._

_Hanging his head, Ezra replied, "You've missed a lot."_

As he described all that had transpired since he'd last seen her, Ahsoka realized just how much time had passed for Ezra. He was older, yes, but he was also wiser and more sure of himself. He wasn't as brash, and she could tell how strongly he still believed in helping people, Lothal specifically. The Jedi would have likely criticized him for his obvious attachment to his home planet, but Ahsoka would argue that the Jedi were just as attached to their Republic and its politics. Besides, Ezra had faced and overcome trials that most Jedi wouldn't have at his age. Ahsoka saw Kanan's positive influence on him, and even though she had no claim to Ezra's development, Ahsoka was proud of him.

And now, Darth Sidious, the kriffing Emperor, was trying to capture them both.

So far, he was still on the other side of the portal, but Ahsoka didn't think it was a good sign when a Sith Lord was chanting in a dead language and waving his hands over magical blue fire.

Sometimes, she hated being right.

As soon as Sidious finished whatever Sith spell he was conjuring, the flames grew and exploded in a deadly column towards Ahsoka and Ezra. No longer having Morai on her arm, Ahsoka reached out her hands to use the Force to push against the blue inferno, causing the flames to split to either side instead of engulfing them outright.

Ahsoka yelled over her shoulder to Ezra. "I can't hold it!"

Trying to copy her, Ezra reached into the Force to help, but they wouldn't be able to withstand the onslaught for long. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Sidious withdrew his spell back through the portal, and Ahsoka fell to her knees at the unexpected lack of opposition.

"Are you alright?" Ezra knelt and helped her to stand as she nodded her response.

She knew that Sidious was simply toying with her and Ezra, which left them only one option.

"Run!"

With Morai leading the way, Ahsoka and Ezra sprinted as fast as they could. Glancing back over her shoulder, Ahsoka could see Sidious's blue flames surging after them, and they were even more powerful than before.

"Ahsoka!"

Suddenly, Ezra wasn't running beside her anymore. From within the inferno, a single blue tendon of energy had wrapped itself around his ankle, and Sidious was slowly dragging Ezra back towards the portal.

"Show me the way, Ezra. Help me!" Sidious crowed with a sinister smile.

"Ahhh! He's coming through!" Ezra yelled as a lone, withered hand passed through the portal, guiding the flames and reaching for Ezra at the same time.

Without hesitation, Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers and leaped next to Ezra. She cut through the energy line connected to his ankle, causing Sidious's spell to temporarily cease, and the Sith's hand recoiled as if he had been struck. She urged Ezra to take advantage of the brief reprieve to put more distance between them and their enemy, but they were only barely able to stay out of reach as the Lord of the Sith renewed his attack.

Ahsoka knew what she had to do. "Keep going! You can make it!"

"What about you?" Ezra looked sideways at her as they ran, bewildered.

"Don't worry about me. You saved my life. Now, let me save yours!"

Before he could fully realize what she meant, Ahsoka did the same thing she did for him on Malachor, pushing him with the Force towards safety.

"Morai! Go with him!"

Not willing to waste precious time to make sure Morai followed her order, Ahsoka immediately turned back towards Sidious and put every ounce of power she had into halting the oncoming flames. She only had to buy Ezra enough time to make it back through his own portal.

"No!" Sidious screamed, and that was all she needed to hear to know that Ezra was out of his reach.

Ahsoka allowed herself to finally collapse in exhaustion, but as her vision filled with blue and her mind slipped away, Ahsoka managed to whisper, "May the Force be with you, Ezra Bridger."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have a general idea of a continuation if the first two chapters are well-received. I'm working on finishing the second chapter now, but I wanted to go ahead and get the first bit out there even if it is pretty short.


	2. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka has a friendly conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided I do want to continue this work into more chapters. I enjoyed writing this chapter way too much.

**The Shrine in The Depths, ~~Coruscant~~ Imperial Center**

Ahsoka awoke to pain. Except, saying she was simply in pain was inadequate. She would have screamed in anguish if her throat wasn't constricted with shock. She would have writhed in agony if her body wasn't paralyzed with fear. Even her Force presence was tormented as pure evil surrounded her, its hatred and malice tearing at her mind, ripping into her very core. Deadly light filled her vision as purple lightning sizzled across her skin, and time held no meaning as all Ahsoka knew was _suffering_.

Until she wasn't.

So, that's what Sith lightning felt like.

Even as the torture subsided, its echoes made her want to curl into a fetal position, but she was too exhausted to move. Was that smoke coming off her body? Or was it evaporated sweat? Probably both. As her vision cleared, Ahsoka tried to not let fear overwhelm her when she realized Darth Sidious was standing next to her prone form.

Karking Sith spit. Literally.

Adrenaline surged through her, and she immediately scrambled to her feet to face him. She had been lying on some sort of stone slab, and now, it was the only object between them. Not much of an obstacle for either party, but Ahsoka would take what she could get. Granted, Sidious must not have considered her to be much of a threat given that she hadn't been restrained while she was unconscious. She could even feel the familiar weight of her lightsabers at her waist. Ahsoka didn't want to think about what that said about the Sith Lord's power that he could afford to be so callous.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Ahsoka Tano," Sidious cackled at her, his sulfurous eyes piercing into her from underneath his ominously hooded robes.

The next time Ahsoka saw Morai, they needed to have a chat about letting Ahsoka just _die already_. Morai could find a new champion, or avatar, or whatever the kriff Ahsoka was supposed to be.

"What do you want, Sidious?"

She half expected him to shock her again simply for her acerbic tone, but instead, he laughed at her, which only served to heighten her nerves. A humored Sith was perhaps even more unpredictable than an angry Sith.

"Ah, you certainly don't disappoint, my dear! After working with simpering fools for so long, I must say, your insolence is refreshing."

"Well, don't get used to it. I don't exactly plan on sticking around," Ahsoka snarked back at him.

In response to her sarcasm, he looked downright gleeful, which made her skin crawl. The Sith Lord was likely imagining all the ways he wanted to punish her for her irreverence.

She needed an escape. Now.

"Oh really, my dear? And who do you suppose you are that you have the ability to leave my presence at your own will? Do you know where you are? Do you even know _when_ you are?"

Ahsoka visibly flinched at his line of questioning because he was right. She didn't know what time Sidious had pulled her into, and she had no idea where they were. When she extended her Force sense, all she found was darkness. Wherever she was, the dark side was strong here.

In other words, she was kriffed.

Just like in the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka knew that Sidious was toying with her, although his possible reasoning eluded her. He was playing some sort of game, but whatever it was, she refused to let him win.

However, even though she would have loved nothing more than to gut the Emperor with her lightsabers right then and there, violence was not going to help her out of her current predicament. Attacking him outright would only lead to her swift demise by electrocution through the Force or otherwise. She had barely survived her encounter with Darth Vader, and he was the _apprentice_. She certainly wouldn't stand a chance against the master. Ahsoka couldn't see any weapons on his person, but she didn't doubt that he had a lightsaber somewhere under his robes. She didn't even know what kind of saber he used or what fighting forms he favored. In comparison, he knew what forms Anakin Skywalker had favored, what she would have been taught. If Ahsoka dueled Sidious now, he would have every advantage.

So, no, her lightsabers would not be the means for her escape. She would have to rely solely on her wits and the Force. Luckily, Ahsoka had learned from the best on how to project confidence in the face of uncertainty or against impossible odds.

Shifting her stance to appear more casual, Ahsoka channeled her inner Obi-Wan. "I don't suppose you'd care to enlighten me, Your Imperialness?"

For someone who had just claimed to find her personality _refreshing_ , Sidious didn't seem to be quite so amused anymore. He wasn't exactly frowning, but at least the evil smirk was gone. As _the_ Lord of the Sith, he was obviously used to people cowering before him. He had likely dominated those around him for so long that he had almost forgotten what is was like to have someone in his presence who refused to be overcome with fear.

"What do you know of The Rule of Two?" Sidious asked, changing topics entirely.

What kind of question was that?

Ahsoka felt that Sidous was testing her in some way, but she saw no way forward other than to play along for now. Surely, it couldn't hurt to humor him. Keep him talking.

Technically, Ahsoka shouldn't have been able to answer Sidious's question. At least, not to any considerable extent. Back in The Clone Wars, pretty much every Jedi had known that Dooku had become a Sith, and the High Council had made sure that those fighting on the front lines had been warned about their potential lightsaber-wielding enemies like Ventress, Maul, Savage, and Grievous. So, Ahsoka had been briefed on the fact that Sith came in pairs.

But, Ahsoka had been curious as to _why_ there were only supposed to be two Sith at a time. Most of the Jedi had chalked it up to the Sith being deranged and had backed up their claims with vague mentions of how any more than two Sith at any given time resulted in chaos and destruction. Ahsoka hadn't been satisfied with those half answers. The Sith may have been off their karking rockers, but they had to have had reasons for why they did what they did, however delusional in nature they might be.

The Jedi had believed that understanding an enemy was the key to defeating said enemy, so Ahsoka had been determined to apply that teaching to the Sith, the ultimate enemy. If she was going to survive the war, she wanted to be prepared to face anything. Her first encounter with Ventress certainly hadn't been fun. Finally, after harassing Obi-Wan enough, he had given her permission to access certain resources in the Archives with his Master code. It had probably been the one and only time she had actually wanted to do any kind of research.

Ahsoka would say that it had paid off so far.

"Over a millennia ago, Darth Bane was the sole survivor of the ancient wars between the Jedi and the Sith, his survival unbeknownst at the time. Eventually, the Jedi Order came into possession of Sith artifacts that allowed them to piece together the Sith's secret continuance. This information was secured within the Jedi Archives and only made available to Jedi Masters who had proven trustworthy enough to possess this knowledge; thus, the prevailing belief amongst most of the Jedi was that the Sith were in fact extinct."

"And how do you come to possess such forbidden knowledge, my dear?" Sidious appeared be amused.

"I convinced Master Obi-Wan that I could benefit from learning more about the Sith to aid me in the war. I was sworn to secrecy, but I guess that matters little now."

Ahsoka hadn't given it much thought before, but she supposed that the Archives had been purged just as the Order was. All of that knowledge, lost.

"Subversive from the beginning, Tano?" Sidious mocked her. "Do continue, though."

"Prior to their downfall, the Sith Lords had always been associated in pairs much like the Jedi. However, Darth Bane believed that there needed to be restrictions to ensure that the Sith teachings would live on and that revenge against the Jedi could be had. Only two Sith Lords could ever be allowed at a time: a master and an apprentice. With their limited numbers, each new generation of Sith would have to be stronger than the last; hence, it became the apprentice's duty to learn from the master with the ultimate goal to eventually replace the master through betrayal. Darth Bane implicitly believed that if the apprentice was strong, the apprentice would be victorious, worthy of taking the title of Master, and if the apprentice was weak, then the apprentice would die and be replaced by a better candidate."

And Sheev Palpatine was a product of a millennia of Sith that had followed Darth Bane's philosophy. Their collective powers coalesced into one man.

Ahsoka briefly wondered how he had betrayed his own master.

"Very good, Tano." Sidious seemed genuinely impressed with her answer, but she felt far from proud. "And now, what do you know of my current apprentice Darth Vader?"

Ahsoka stiffened.

_Whoever Darth Vader was, he wasn't completely human. If the chest panel of his armor and the respirator of his helmet were any indication, he probably needed that suit to stay alive._

_Whatever the case, his figure was imposing, and his presence only radiated cold. Ahsoka reckoned that if the dark side could be made physical, it would look and feel like Darth Vader. Pain, hate, and rage swirled about him in the Force like he was barely keeping himself restrained, ready to unleash his fury upon his enemies at a moment's notice. Anakin had been strong in the Force, but not like that. Ahsoka remembered her master's presence as a beacon of light and a source of comfort. Her master was the eye of the storm, not the storm itself._

_Perhaps more than any other Jedi, she had seen Anakin's struggle with the darkness within himself. Obi-Wan hadn't always been around, and for obvious reasons, Obi-Wan hadn't witnessed Anakin's lowest moments during the Rako Hardeen incident. Ahsoka and Anakin's relationship with Obi-Wan was never the same afterward. But still, she couldn't fathom what could have possibly happened to turn him into the enemy. Anakin inspired hope. Vader inspired terror._

_"I was beginning to believe I knew who you were behind that mask, but it's impossible. My master could never be as vile as you!"_

_"Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him."_

_"Then I will avenge his death."_

_"Revenge is not the Jedi way."_

_"I am no Jedi."_

_Their ensuing duel was brutal. Vader's every maneuver was designed to kill, and the sheer power behind each strike left Ahsoka unable to go on the offensive. After being knocked off the platform, she barely recovered in time to attack Vader from behind as he tried to steal the holocron from Ezra and Kanan._

_"Ahsoka."_

_With half of his mask missing and his voice modulator damaged from where she struck him, Vader's suit failed to disguise his true identity. As the temple collapsed around them, Ahsoka could only focus on the voice that she hadn't heard in person in over a decade._

_"Anakin."_

_All of her denial went up in flames when suddenly faced with the reality that had befallen her former master. She wanted to scream and shout at him, to ask him how this could have happened. How could he have betrayed the Jedi, betrayed Obi-Wan? How could he do this to Padmé? To her?_

_But, maybe it was the other way around. The Anakin that Ahsoka had known would never turn on his friends. He had stood by her and believed in her when no one else would. He had fought for her innocence. He had saved her from execution. And then, she had left. She had walked away. She abandoned the Jedi. She abandoned him. She had her reasons, but -_

_"I won't leave you. Not this time."_

_"Then you will die."_

_He seemed to consider her words at first, which made his rejection even more hurtful. Whatever she had meant to him in the past was not enough to sway him._

_She was not enough._

_She had failed. Anakin Skywalker was truly gone, and the penalty for trying to save him was death. At this realization, Ahsoka's anger faded as quickly as it had risen, only to be replaced by despair._

And now, Ahsoka stood before Darth Sidious, the person ultimately responsible for everything. She seriously reconsidered her decision to not attack the Emperor. Consequences be damned, she wanted him to pay for what he'd done to Anakin.

"Anakin Skywalker was a great Jedi and a war hero - my _friend_ , and you twisted him into a nightmare!"

"I did no such thing, my dear. He did that all himself."

"You're lying. Anakin would never have willingly let himself become such a monstrosity. You did something to him!"

"On the contrary, I saved his life. Your precious Kenobi saw fit to relieve Skywalker of his remaining limbs on Mustafar, leaving his body next to a river of lava to burn alive. By the time I arrived, the damage was already done. That suit was designed in the aftermath just for him. He _begged_ me to save him."

The Force rang with the truth of his words, but Ahsoka was also sure that Palpatine was leaving out some important information. Regardless, the nature of Anakin's demise was heartbreaking. _Obi-Wan_ had mutilated Anakin and left him for dead, and Ahsoka didn't know how to feel about that revelation. On one hand, she had thought Obi-Wan had fallen during The Purge, so she was elated that a Jedi she had been close to had survived. But at the same time, if Ahsoka ever found him, she felt that she was just as likely to hug him as she was to hurt him. How could he do that to Anakin? Had Obi-Wan even _tried_ to save him? Even if Anakin was already beyond saving, the Obi-Wan Ahsoka knew did not allow his enemies to suffer, but leaving someone to burn alive was the opposite of a mercy kill. What had _happened_?

"Why put him in that suit, though?" Ahsoka asked Sidious. "You could have simply healed him. Such advanced technology isn't beyond The Empire's resources."

That stupid evil grin was back. "You tell me, my dear."

Against her better judgement, Ahsoka tried to put herself in the shoes of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the secret Lord of the Sith. All of a sudden, his special attentions regarding Anakin over the years made sense. Palpatine had been grooming Anakin to become Sith for years. Maul had been right.

And then, right as Sidious was ready to take control of The Republic and transform the galaxy into his own personal Sith Empire, one of his most promising _investments_ was almost lost. If Obi-Wan had finished the job, Palpatine would have gained the galaxy only to lose his apprentice.

"It's a prison. A punishment."

Ahsoka was disgusted by Sidious's obvious glee at her former master's torment.

"Exactly. Vader's failure to achieve victory on Mustafar was _disappointing_ , to say the least. He was supposed to be my perfect apprentice, but in a single moment, all that time I invested in him was ruined. All those years, wasted. Tell me, Tano. Knowing what you've told me of the way of the Sith and taking into account what I've revealed to you of Skywalker's demise, how is Vader supposed to fulfill his ultimate duty as my apprentice?"

Ahsoka thought about it and realized, "He's not. He's just some tool to you. A weapon."

"Once a slave..."

If it was possible, Ahsoka's heart broke even further. She and Anakin had once vowed to end slavery throughout the galaxy after the war was over, after she became a Knight. Another broken promise, and now, Anakin was a part of the system he had so despised.

"Why tell me all of this?" Ahsoka was tired of whatever game Sidious was playing.

"I keep Vader around for the same reason I kept Dooku. His position is only temporary until I find his replacement."

Ahsoka internally scoffed at how many apprentices Sidious had gone through.

"Well, I'm sure Maul is still crawling around out there somewhere. The last I saw of him, he was absolutely nuts, so good luck with that."

"Yes," Sidious mused. "Even fools have their uses, but Maul is irrelevant."

Ahsoka was confused. Where was this going?

"I don't understand."

"Oh come now, my dear. Now is not the time to be modest." He looked at her pointedly.

No kriffing way.

"Me? B-but - I would never..."

"Wouldn't you? Not even if I offered you the galaxy in return? Not even if I taught you the very means to defeat me?"

Ahsoka hoped her face adequately conveyed her disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

Because he couldn't possibly be asking her to -

"Become my true apprentice, Tano, and I will step down as Emperor. You will rule in my stead as my heir, and as my Sith apprentice, I will teach you the ways of the dark side so that one day you might be strong enough to defeat me."

"You would never give up your power so willingly. You would never give your apprentice such an advantage."

"Wouldn't I? So sure are you that I'd truly be giving up my power in the first place. Instead of ruling publicly, I would instead become the puppet master in the shadows. As my apprentice, you would be an extension of my will. You would be loyal only to me and obey my every command to the letter. Should you betray me, I would kill you. Such is the way of the Sith."

Ahsoka had learned over the years to not take anything at face value, but she hadn't felt any deception in the Force so far. He truly did want her as his apprentice.

"Why me? I'm not stronger than Vader."

"But, you could be. If you gave into your emotions, Tano, you would make a powerful Sith. The Jedi Order wanted you to dismiss your feelings, thereby stunting your power. Skywalker was a noteable exception, and in your short time as Skywalker's apprentice, your skills became more advanced than even most Jedi Knights at the time. You survived a war that most did not, The Purge of the Jedi aside. You have faced a good number of my acolytes over the years and won. Imagine what you could learn to do at my side."

Ahsoka wasn't aware that the then-Chancellor had developed any interest in her at the time. The way he said it, even she was impressed with her own resume. Even so, Ahsoka wasn't one to succumb to flattery.

"Why now? What do you gain from all this?"

"I will tell you this only because I will never share this secret with you: I plan to live forever, Tano, but the people of the galaxy will need the appearance of change if I am to successfully maintain my Sith Empire for generations to come. I offer you the chance to be the face of said change. You can command the galaxy - at my behest - but I guarantee you the power to shape the Empire and mete out justice as you see fit. Within reason, of course. The Republic can never return. The Jedi cannot be allowed to regain power. But, you desire to see a galaxy at peace, and I can give that to you. At my side, you won't need your silly little rebellion. You can stop another war before it even starts, Tano."

"And if I refuse?"

"Make no mistake. I will end your rebel scum regardless of what you choose. Your decision simply affects how that end will manifest itself. Join me, and they live to enjoy an Empire under your fair rule. Deny me, and they will all die. Doubt my claim if you wish, but know that my plans to destroy your friends are already in motion."

So, Sidious's offer was an illusion of choice. If she agreed, he gained a new apprentice to mold to his own ends while reestablishing his hold over The Empire, albeit more deceptively. If she refused, she would die today with The Rebellion following soon after according to his implications.

Ahsoka may not have finished her Jedi training, but she had found ways to get stronger on her own. She knew she was powerful, both in the Force and in combat. Her encounters with the Inquisitors had proved that much, and her survival over the years had given her a confidence that she had lacked as a padawan.

And yet, it was not enough.

Ahsoka thought of Steela, her clones, her master... all gone because she hadn't been strong enough to save them.

Ahsoka couldn't defeat Vader, and she was nothing to Sidious. If Obi-Wan had survived, he was either unable or unwilling to fight The Empire, like Yoda. Other than those two, she wasn't aware of any other surviving Jedi Masters, much less any that were capable of fighting the Sith. Similarly, The Rebel Alliance was sizeable, but their resources paled in comparison to The Empire's capabilities.

They had been fighting to restore The Republic and the Jedi Order, but were those ideals worth dying for when she could bring peace with a simple decision? Hadn't The Republic and the Jedi stood for peace and justice? Plus, they had ultimately proven corrupt. Ahsoka could ensure true peace and justice throughout the galaxy if she joined Sidious. Nobody innocent would have to die. Nobody would have to live in fear.

All she had to do was become Darth Sidious's apprentice. In return, he would give her the power to affect change on a scale she never could have otherwise. She would have to use the dark side and corrupt her soul with its evil, but she vowed that she would always act in the interests of peace and justice across the galaxy. Her darker nature would be reserved only for those that deserved it. And someday, she would finally be powerful enough to end Darth Sidious once and for all, and perhaps then The Republic and the Jedi could return.

For the galaxy, Ahsoka considered sacrificing herself a worthy cause.

And so, Ahsoka chose to fall.

"I accept."

Darth Sidious's reaction was nothing short of predatorial as he stalked around the stone slab between them, and Ahsoka fought her instincts that screamed at her to back away from his close proximity. She would have to learn to withstand his presence.

"Kneel. Swear your undying loyalty to me."

Ahsoka wanted to roll her eyes at the dramatics, but she did as she was told. Slowly, she lowered one knee to the ground, placed her hands on the one remaining upright, and bowed her head as she knew he wanted. That was something she was going to have to get used to.

"I pledge my loyalty to you, Darth Sidious, as my master. I swear to abide by your teachings in the ways of the dark side, and I promise to serve you and obey your commands. My will is yours."

Until one of them betrayed the other, but the Force still rang with the truth of her words.

"Good, good," Sidious hummed. "Henceforth, Ahsoka Tano is no more. From this day forward, you shall be known as Darth Raptis, my new apprentice."

_Raptis_. One who seizes, who takes. Ahsoka told herself that she would only adopt this new persona when absolutely necessary, and it was a promise she hoped she could keep.

She raised her gaze, deep blue meeting vibrant yellow. "Your wish is my command."

Darth Sidious looked at her expectantly.

"Your wish is my command, _Master_ ," she amended.

"Excellent," her new master purred. "I already have your first task, one that will test your commitment to me but should also be well within your abilities to complete. But first, you will learn your place, _Apprentice_."

The freshly minted Darth Raptis barely had time to react before Sidious raised his hands towards her and purple lightning once again enveloped her in its deadly embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here are some of my thoughts and assumptions about this chapter:
> 
> (1) Ahsoka's apprenticeship to Sidious is symbiotic, based on the mutual understanding that they will always be trying to undermine each other. Palpatine is confident enough in his abilities to thwart any future betrayals, so he sees her as a necessary risk. Note that his response to her comment about not being stronger than Vader is very vague. In truth, he partly chooses her because she's not as strong. Yet.
> 
> (2) Sidious tells Ahsoka he plans to live forever as a way to make Ahsoka feel like she has no other choice. Revealing that information puts even more pressure on her to want to destroy him, which they both know she is currently too weak to do. Becoming a Sith and learning to use the dark side is the only path to defeating him. Or so she is made to believe.
> 
> (3) Ahsoka falls because she doesn't have anyone in her life to ground her against the dark side. Filoni/Lucas believe that Star Wars is about family, about connection, and at this point, Ahsoka doesn't really have any. Plus, she's still coming off of her battle/revelation with Vader. She hasn't had time to process it all, and doing it while Sidious is whispering in her ear and while being inside a Sith temple isn't exactly an environment for a calm mind and sound judgement.
> 
> Anyway, feel free to debate with me in the comments!


	3. Lesson Number One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka is given her first task as Darth Raptis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in about as many weeks, dang I am good lol jk
> 
> Apologies to my MCU fans. Maybe the Marvel bug will hit me again once I finally watch WandaVision. Until then, enjoy the product of my Star Wars fever!

**The Imperial Palace, Imperial Center**

_"You must learn to turn pain into power, Apprentice."_

_For the ninth - no, tenth - time, Ahsoka glared up at Darth Sidious from where she lay curled up in agony at his feet, her body twitching every few seconds, but at least she hadn't passed out this time. She had lost consciousness once a few rounds ago and would not make that mistake again. Being awoken by Sith lightning was even less pleasant than meeting it head on._

_As if watching the millions of volts arcing toward her made it hurt less._

_After each iteration of lightning, her new master would fill the brief reprieve with information or advice about his current torture of her, but Ahsoka didn't see why he couldn't just tell her everything she needed to know_ before _subjecting her body to extreme electrocution._

_Karking sadist._

_Sidious told her that, for the Sith, every lesson was also a test, one where success equalled survival, and failure... was not acceptable. Her first trial under his tutelage was to show that she could actually reach for the dark side. She was supposed to allow the pain from the electricity to fuel her emotions and then use said emotions to draw enough strength to withstand his onslaught. Quite literally, she had to prove that she was worthy to stand before him as his apprentice._

_No problem. She'd get right on that. As soon as she could see straight. And if he would quit shooting her with lightning every few minutes, that would be just kriffing spectacular._

_So far, the most she had been able to move while her torment was being administered was onto her hands and knees before being knocked back onto her shebs, but her inability to comply with Sidious's demand was not for lack of effort on her part. As instructed, she had reached into the Force, but only the light had come to her aid, its soothing nature just able to minimize her agony for a short time. It wasn't as if Ahsoka didn't know what the dark side felt like. She could still sense it all around them, but when she had asked for its help, it had done nothing._

_Ahsoka was beyond frustrated. And tired. And in pain. And irritated. Ever since Malachor, she had yet to stop and rest, so she was determined to succeed at this lesson if only because failure meant death, and she refused to die today. After all she had endured, after all she had fought, she deserved to live._

_So, she decided to embrace her new reality. She was Darth Raptis now, and she would seize victory at any cost. She would take what she needed, and right now, that was the dark side. If it would not obey her upon request, so be it. She would_ make _it submit to her will._

_"Yes, my apprentice, that's it."_

_Raptis barely registered her master's praise or his raised hands as she reached into the Force again, this time with feeling. Instead of succumbing to the pain when the lightning hit her, she absorbed it. She collected it into herself and focused on her emotions. Her fear of failing to save The Rebellion. Her anger at Anakin for becoming Vader. Her hate of Sidious for his reign of terror._

_The light was a river, a current whose flow the Jedi navigated._

_But, Darth Raptis was no Jedi._

_The dark was a beast, a krayt dragon that would only submit to those more powerful._

_And, Darth Raptis was not weak._

_Thus, she latched onto the dark side and wrangled it under her control, imposing her will upon it to yield its strength to her. With lightning all around her, with scars and welts webbed all across her skin, she channeled her pain into her emotions, and suddenly, the dark side did as she wanted. Her torment faded to the back of her mind as pain was replaced with adrenaline, and she experienced a high like no other._

_Power like never before coursed through her veins, and Darth Raptis slowly stood before her master._

And for her reward, Sidious had only allowed her an hour in a bacta tank afterward. Just enough time to prevent scarring but not sufficient to erase the pain completely. She still winced in soreness as she made her way to the Emperor's private throne room in the highest tower of the Imperial Palace.

No longer immersed in the dark side, Ahsoka was simply glad to be alive, but if she was being completely honest with herself, her current discomfort was not only physical. She felt _guilty_. Because despite the torment that had forced her to reach for the dark side, she knew that it would not take such extreme methods to convince her to do so again. Once the dark side had rushed through her, she had eagerly drank in its power, and letting it go after passing her new master's little _test_ had proven difficult. Even now, she could feel it beckoning to her, wanting to consume her, but she restrained herself. She needed to control the dark side, not the other way around. Otherwise, Darth Sidious's claim upon her Sith naming might actually become true, and Ahsoka Tano would be completely replaced by Darth Raptis.

Ahsoka would have to be careful.

She was also overly aware of her new appearance. After her minor healing submersion, Ahsoka had found no trace of her previous clothing. Instead, a black and silver high-necked, sleeveless battle dress had been neatly laid out for her, along with a matching set of gauntlets. They reminded her of the outfit Bo-Katan had given her before The Seige of Mandalore. The provided leggings were an almost gray color, and the greaves with attached knee guards were more similar to what she had gotten used to wearing over the last several years, except they were also black and silver. The only distinct color amidst the entire ensemble was the gold buckle of the kama's belt and the small gold accents on the headpiece.

Ahsoka didn't recall her Sith research stating that they had an aversion to color, but she supposed that they had as much of a right to clothing traditions as the Jedi - not that she cared for either styles. Regardless, it was obvious that Sidious wanted her to project a certain image, one that she would have to maintain for the time being.

However, she couldn't complain too much. The new armor was certainly comfortable, and even she had to admit that she looked good. The dark colors and sharp outlines made her blue eyes stand out even more, and an austere and powerful aura seemed to surround her. Combined with the fact that no official logo or insignia was anywhere to be found on her person, her entire presence was a mystery to those that she passed on her way to her destination, and the mixture of sideways glances and outright staring made a small part of her inwardly preen at the knowledge that she would be featured in the imperial rumor mill. It reminded her of her time at the Jedi Temple between deployments during The Clone Wars when she had reveled in her relative fame as the padawan of The Chosen One.

As such, she had to remember to check her ego as she rode the lift to meet the Emperor, and she tried to keep her pace unhurried yet purposeful as she approached the throne and kneeled before her master.

"Welcome, Apprentice," he greeted. "I am pleased to see that you made a swift recovery from your injuries. How do you find your new uniform?"

"It is very generous. Thank you, Master." As if she had been given any other choice. She couldn't exactly greet Sidious in the nude, although she couldn't help imagining what kinds of reactions she would have garnered in such a fiasco.

"Is something amusing, Apprentice?"

At Sidious's sharp tone, Ahsoka schooled her face into neutrality, erasing the small smirk that had formed involuntarily. "No, Master."

Sidious looked at her silently, daring her to slip up, but after a moment, he seemed willing to let it slide. "You may rise, Raptis. Come, we have much to discuss."

Ahsoka did as she was bid and ascended the raised platform upon which the throne sat. Standing directly in front of her master, she could see the view from the large window behind him, the city planet below stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was quite impressive, and it served as a reminder of the power held by the man currently sitting before her. She would be lying if she said that she couldn't imagine herself in his place, taking audiences and giving orders as she saw fit. Ahsoka may not have been willing to admit it, but a significant part of her _wanted_ his position, and not just because it would save the galaxy or her friends.

The present Emperor smiled at her as if he sensed her thoughts and was pleased by her ambition. "What do you know of the Inquisitorious, my apprentice?"

Ahsoka couldn't hide her disgust at the mention of the dark servants. "The Inquisitors are darksiders under the direction of Darth Vader, their primary purpose being to hunt down the remaining Jedi."

"Yes, but the Inquisitors ultimately serve me. I created the first of their ranks, and even though I granted Vader authority over them, they all know that I am their true master."

Ahsoka internally shuddered as she remembered her and Anakin's rescue of the children from Mustafar all those years ago. Apparently, they had only delayed the inevitable, but at least a few innocents had been spared such a cruel fate.

"As my new apprentice, you will now be overtaking his responsibilities," Sidious informed her. "Unfortunately, the current ranks of the Inquisitorius are rather thin, something for which you are largely responsible."

Ahsoka doubted that he was complimenting her with that comment, but she didn't let his annoyance dampen her satisfaction at the implication that she had been a thorn in his side for many years. "Perhaps now that I am loyal to you, you can refill their numbers, my master."

He sneered at her response. "Don't think I don't sense your smug little attitude, _Apprentice_. It would be unwise for you to tempt my ire so soon after our earlier encounter."

Ahsoka tried to humble herself, she really did.

"However, you are partially correct. The Inquisitorious needs to be replenished, but it will not be done by me."

Ahsoka's body went almost unnaturally still.

"Yes, Darth Raptis, _you_ will be in charge of converting Force-users to my service. To atone for the damage you've caused to my resources, you will hunt down the slaves of the light and turn them into servants of the dark. Those who will not submit, you will kill."

"You mean the _servants_ of the light will be forced to become _your_ slaves."

Ahsoka's mouth was moving before she even realized it, but surprisingly, her accusation was met with cackles.

"Oh, I'm sure that you will come to see things my way soon, my apprentice. The dark side is the key to many powers, whereas the light is restricted by those petty morals of the Jedi. One aspect of the Force grants freedom and power; the other only offers a pale imitation. I'll let you figure out on your own which is which, and then you can tell me who are the servants and who are the slaves."

Ahsoka wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew a pointless argument when she saw one. "As you say, my lord."

"Fortunately, your first task according to your new directive should be relatively easy since you will simply be returning a previous Inquisitor back into the fold instead of converting someone new. I believe you might even enjoy this assignment."

That was not what Ahsoka had expected, and she had to admit that she was a bit intrigued by his claim. She wasn't aware that ex-Inquisitor was a status that one could achieve, and yet, someone had voluntarily left. Or rather, he or she had escaped was the more likely scenario. And now, Ahsoka would have to force him or her back into servitude to Darth Sidious.

Lucky her.

"And which Inquisitor will I have the honor of tracking down for Your Imperialness?"

A brief look of disdain crossed the Emperor's face at her slight impertinence, but then, it morphed into something more menacing. A sly smile accompanied bright eyes, as if he had just realized that he had a secret, one that he would gladly reveal only because he knew it would give him power over her.

"You mean, you don't already know, _Apprentice_?"

Force, this man was irritating.

"No," she ground out, "what don't I know, _Master_?"

Sidious adopted a faux casual demeanor. "Ah, what a shame, truly. I would have thought that she had told you. After all, she's been gone for quite some time. If I recall correctly, she disappeared about two years after the rise of The Empire. She has had ample time to tell you."

Sidious seemed to pause for dramatic effect.

"Who. Is. It?" Ahsoka nearly snarled. Could they just skip to the part of their arrangement where she got to kill him?

"Your target is the one known as First Sister, someone that you have helped to hide from me all these years, in fact. But, since she clearly hasn't told you of her past, you would better recognize her by her given name: Barriss Offee."

Her blood suddenly ran cold to the point of freezing.

_Ahsoka landed on Mirial near the outskirts of some minor settlement. She didn't think anyone would notice her arrival, but she had chosen to use the cover of darkness to her advantage just in case. The Empire was still fairly new to the galaxy, but two years was plenty of time to establish enough spies amongst known Force-sensitive populations like the Mirialans. Their entire people were in tune with the Force on a small enough scale that they actually worshipped the Force, and their culture was similar to the Jedi in some ways and very different in others. For example, the Mirialans believed in following the will of the Force like the Jedi, but unlike the Jedi, the Mirialans were not trained as warriors. Even so, an entire race of Force-sensitives could be perceived as a threat to the Sith. Hence, the numerous imperial spies found hidden throughout the Outer Rim planet's citizenry._

_Luckily, Emperor Palpatine couldn't afford to wipe out a whole planet. Yet. So, if Mirial didn't raise a fuss, they would likely be left alone by The Empire. At least, that's what Fulcrum's informants had pieced together so far._

_In addition to building a trustworthy spy network for Bail Organa, Ahsoka had been trying to discover everything she could about the shadow she had encountered on Raada. The Inquisitors, she had been told, reported directly to Lord Vader, The Emperor's lead enforcer. She had yet to find any proof of his identity, but from what she had heard, this Lord Vader was terrifying. Horror stories of death and destruction on massive scales followed him across the galaxy._

_His Inquisitors also inspired fear, albeit on a more manageable scale, if you could consider hunting down the remaining Jedi manageable. As Ahsoka had been expanding her Fulcrum contacts, she had also been laying the foundation for an underground system of sorts for if she ever came across any surviving Jedi. If there were any left, they would need help to either band together or stay hidden. With Bail's permission, Ahsoka had found and recruited an expert forger to their cause, and she had acquired a small untraceable credit account. With these resources, she would likely be able to help any remnants of the Order out of any immediate danger, and with any luck, they'd be willing to join Bail's organization for the long run._

_So, when she had received word of a former Jedi hiding out on Mirial, Ahsoka had jumped at the chance to reconnect with her past._

_It had to be Master Luminara._

_As Ahsoka silently made her way to the rendezvous coordinates that she had passed along to her contact, she became so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't realize the lone figure already at the meeting spot was the wrong type of figure for Master Luminara. The Mirialan she was approaching had a different stance than the one in Ahsoka's mind, which she would have noticed had she not already been thinking of ways to convince Luminara to share her ongoing burdens. Ahsoka could hardly remember what it felt like to be in the presence of another Jedi, much less a Jedi Master, so she couldn't help the swell of joy and hope that threatened to overwhelm her._

_Ahsoka was almost directly behind the cloaked woman before she realized the Mirialan wasn't Master Luminara at all._

_Kriffing hells, was that -_

_"Barriss?"_

_"Ahsoka? What are you doing here?" Barriss whirled around to face Ahsoka and immediately backed away a few paces. Ahsoka recalled her friend being almost unnaturally calm in all situations, but now, her fingers were twitching ever so slightly, as if she wanted to grab something that was no longer in her possession._

_"I could ask you the same thing," Ahsoka replied cautiously. She thought that Barriss was acting awfully nervous for someone that was supposed to be there._

_"I'm... uh, I - um - I really shouldn't say," Barriss hedged, to which she then hurriedly added, "and I know that's only a rudimentary explanation, but I promise that I'm not in any trouble. Not currently, at least."_

_Ahsoka crossed her arms and raised an eyemark at her, silently saying that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon._

_"I'm supposed to be meeting with someone named Fulcrum." Dark blue eyes darted back and forth as if Ahsoka's presence was preventing this Fulcrum from showing up._

_The Togruta tried to hide her amusement and decided to put her former best friend out of her misery. "Well, here I am."_

_Instead of having a calming affect, Barriss seemed to physically deflate at the revelation. She was only two years Ahsoka's senior, but she suddenly seemed much older. "Wait, you're Fulcrum?"_

_"What? I can't be a dead ex-Jedi and a galactic spy at the same time?" Ahsoka tried to lighten the mood because she didn't understand why her secret identity would upset the Mirialan._

_Barriss shook her head at her dejectedly. "No, it's not that. It's just that I reached out to Fulcrum with the hope that I might receive help... I'm on the run, you see... and now that I know that you're Fulcrum... Force, I'm not expressing my thoughts very adequately, am I?"_

_Ahsoka took pity on an obviously unbalanced Barriss. "I'm not going to turn you away because of our history, Barriss. If you need help, I'm still willing to give it to you."_

_"But, why would you help me?" Barriss's shocked expression almost broke Ahsoka's heart._

_"That's what I do, Barriss. I help people," Ahsoka replied simply. No judgemental attitude, no underlying anger._

_Barriss's eyes were almost pleading now. "But, why would you help_ me _?"_

_Ahsoka took a steady breath as she contemplated how she wanted to respond. She resolved to keep her tone calm but firm as she said, "If you're asking me if I've forgiven you for what you've done, then the answer is no. I haven't forgotten what you did, and even if I've come to see how you were right about some of the things that you said about the Jedi at the time, I still can't condone your actions. You murdered innocents, Barriss, and then you almost got me executed. We were best friends - or, you were mine, at least. I still haven't gotten over that hurt, and perhaps I never will."_

_Barriss seemed to accept that answer, so Ahsoka continued more softly. "That being said, the Jedi and The Republic are gone. What's done is done, and nothing is going to change that. These days, my job involves working against The Empire, and if you're truly on the run, then that tells me we're on the same side now, or we at least have similar interests. So, if you're asking me about my motivations, then know that I'm helping you because it's the right thing to do."_

_Ahsoka had never seen so many emotions on the older woman's face in such a short amount of time. Guilt, fear, hope, and disbelief all warred across her features._

_"Ahsoka, I don't... I don't know what to say." The Mirialan's voice was a bit raspy, like she was trying not to cry._

_Ahsoka cocked a hand on her hip and adopted her trademark grin. "Well, a thank you would probaly be a good start."_

And she had been right. It was a start. It was the beginning of something new between them. After getting Barriss set up with a new identity on Mirial, the Mirialan had been given a protocol for check-ins, but once a year visits from the Togruta soon became two or three drop-ins, often for a few days, which eventually evolved into surprise appearances for however long she could afford to stay. They were both unsure of exactly how it had happened, but they had somehow managed to repair their friendship. On the other hand, maybe they had just finally found a way to be the friends that they had never gotten to be previously, and their relationship was closer than ever.

At least, that's what Ahsoka had believed until now.

Karking Barriss Offee had manipulated her _again_.

Suddenly, subtle moments over the years now stood out. When asked about how she had gotten out of prison, Barriss had only said that she had escaped, an easily dismissable explanation. In response to the offer to join The Rebellion, she had denied any interest in being involved in another war, which was completely understandable. The Mirialan had also cut herself off from the Force, but after being confronted about it, she had stated that she didn't want to talk about it. Ahsoka had respected her wishes, thinking that it was simply too painful for Barriss to recall her experiences. Force knew the younger woman had similar memories of her own.

She hadn't considered that Barriss was intentionally _hiding_ something from her.

Well, no more. It was past time that Ahsoka turned the tables on her so-called friend.

"Is there a problem, Apprentice?" Sidious's voice carried fake concern.

She sook her head. "No, Master. Forgive me, I was only lost in thought."

"It is understandable," he hummed with imitated empathy. "In truth, I trust that your emotions will serve you well for this mission. Your orders are to return the former Inquisitor to her rightful place under my service, but I first want her to understand the consequences of her absence."

Darth Raptis understood what he wanted - even wanted it herself - and knelt once again as she replied, "Yes, Master. I promise that the traitor Barriss Offee will suffer for her crimes and that she will return to her post as First Sister. I will not fail you."

"Go," the Lord of the Sith commanded, "and may you achieve victory, my apprentice."

As Raptis rose to take her leave, she was already so engrossed in thoughts of her own personal vengeance that she failed to notice the pleased state of Darth Sidious. If she had taken a moment to look down and appreciate the extremely polished floors upon which she strolled, she might have noticed two new glowing crimson orbs adorning her reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all got as many feels as I gave myself while writing this. Coming up next, Barriss's point of view over the years!
> 
> Also, I updated the tags to include a relationship, but forewarning, this is not going to be exactly, ahem, _healthy_ (you probably see where this is going), and I have a different endgame relationship for our favorite Togruta. Sorry, Barriss, it's nothing personal.
> 
> Please send me your thoughts and questions in the comments! I'm a bit uncertain about the flow, so if anything seems off, kindly let me know, and I'll go back and try to fix it. Like, is Ahsoka too dark too fast? Is her split personality noticeable and believeable?


End file.
